This hike starts at the Mason Lake trailhead - I-90 exit
45, turn north, then take a left and follow the road a little over three miles to the parking lot, elevation 2200 ft.
The trail begins by following an old logging road at a gentle incline -- perfect for warming up. During this stretch, you will pass a soon-to-be-defunct trail intersection with the Mason Lake trail.
At 1.4 miles and 3000 ft. the new section of the trail begins. It is at a steeper grade, but it's far more sane than the old gully-scrambler it replaces. Views begin here - on a clear day, you'll start to see
Mt. Rainier emerge over the ridge on the south side of I-90. The trail switches back about a half-dozen times popping in and out of the woods and affording better and better views.
The new section of the trail ends at a soon-to-be-open junction with the new Mason Lake trail at 2.7 miles and 4200 ft. Stay right on the steepest part of the trail. This is the upper section of the former 1700 ft in one mile stretch that had the best hikers doubled over and gasping for breath. It now weighs in at 500 ft. in approximately a quarter mile(!) and is quite
formidable, but the trail is well-built here and climbs through a lovely bear grass meadow (if you can call something this steep a meadow) with wildflowers in bloom and butterflies galore, at the right time of year.
Just under three miles and 4700 ft., the trail stops resembling a staircase and resumes a steep, but not unusual slope. Here you'll go back through trees and over a few small boulder fields to get to the end of the well-maintained trail at the western summit, 3.4 miles, 5160 ft. The views are great here, and many people are content to eat lunch and turn around. Indeed, we had never ventured past until placing this cache.
To the east you can see a ridge that curves gently north to the true Bandera summit -- that is your destination. Drop down to the north, but not too far. Follow the recognizable segments of trail,
occasionally marked by pink flags just under the ridge. The trail eventually crosses over the ridge to the south side and mostly stays out of the trees. From the point at
N47º 24.923' W121º 32.679', the trail is rather easy to follow. There are a couple of places where you will need to part branches of some short firs, but they are rare and brief. You will also enter a small stand of taller trees along the way.
The summit is a big pile of rocks which tops out just under 5250 feet after a grand total of about 4.0 miles of hiking. Enjoy the views here - especially to the north and northeast. Below are Island and Rainbow lakes. Across the valley is the enormous rock-slide of Pratt Mountain's southwestern face. In the distance are peaks too numerous to mention.
The cache is nearby, under a rock -- ha ha. It is a .30 caliber ammo can hidden not far from the peak with enough of the can visible that you shouldn't have to move any rocks until after you have found it.
The hike stats are about eight miles round trip, 3500 feet elevation gain. We spent six hours on the trail including
leisurely breaks and a 45 minute lunch. The trail should be snow-free from early June to October.
Check the WTA site for recent trail reports.
When snow-free, there is nothing technical or particularly unsafe about the hike. Be careful in the rock fields as there are lots of places to twist an ankle and quite a few big tippy rocks. Finally, don't forget to bring lots and lots of water! Good luck and have fun!